Peach grader



W. H. FRAZINE ET AL PEACH GRADER March 2 1926. 1,575,424

Filed Sept. 2, 1924 3 sheets -sheet 1 mvsu-roas W H. F'razlqe mad Ch as W.M01 1 LL BY Q v ATTORNEY March 2 1926. 1,575,424

w. H. FRAZINE ET AL PEACH GRADER Filed Sept. 2 192.4 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS T V H- Frazizae mvd.

C 12 6L5 W. Mot-rill ATTORNEY March 2 1926.

1,575,424 W. H. FRAZINE ET AL PEACH GRADER Filed Sept. 2, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR5 W H. Fra/tine and Chas; W. MorrLL BYQ sum ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 2, 1926.

- UNITED STATES PATIENT; O FIC WILLIAM Hi'rRAzgnn anncnantns w. MORRILL, or MODESTO, oALIEonNIA- "r PEACH GRADER.

Application mes September 2.1924,. Serial mi 735,243.

To all whom it may concerns Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. Fink have invented certain new and usefulIm provements in Peach Graders; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear and exact description of the sa1ne,; reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this application.

machines for' grading fruit, peaches, though any fruit of similar shape may be graded withequal efficiency. V The principal object of our invention is to provide a machine for the purpose by means of which ungraded fruit placed thereon at one end will be automatically carried toward the other end of the machine, and during said travel the fruit will be'automatically segregated into the different grades orsizes desired, Without any bandling on the part of the operatorbeing 11ecessary. t l

Another object is to arrange that the fruit, during its automatic handlingby the machine, will not be subjected to any rough treatment of a nature which would cause it to be bruised or otherwise damageda feature inherent in most grading machines,

' and which lessens of course the market value of the fruit. This is especially true in the case of peaches. whichare of tender texture.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice'and yet one which will be'exceedinglyelfective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These objects we accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification andclaims.

In the drawings similarcharacters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line H of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detached perspective view of a grading cup.

Fig. 6 isa fragmentary cross section of the feed-belt andfruit guide structure.

- Referring now more. particularly to the characters ofreference on the drawings, the

numeral 1 denotes a transversely spaced and longitudinally extending pair of rails sup ported a suitable distance from the ground by a suitable framework 2. V

Between. the rails at the forward end" 'thereof is a table 3 having a. slight downward and rearward slopeand provided with .sides l. i Thisinvention relates to improvements in 1 especially Journaled on theframes 2 are.,sliafts;5, disposed rearwardly of the table 3 "in longi- 7 passing thereovcr. The upper faces. of these belts are about on a level with. the table and are arranged to travelaway from the same. r yp Extending lengthwise of the belts and parallel theretozare vertical partitions 8 forming runways from the rear end of the table to the rear endsof the belts.

The space between each partitionis sufficient to receive the .largest size of fruit but insuiiicient to. take two' fruit at the same time in transversely alined order. The partitions preferably overhang the faces of adjacent belts near their edges-and have thin centrally disposed'webs or flanges 9 (BX- tendingbetween the belts andpulleys, as shown in Fig. 6. This construction prevents the belts, which are somewhat loosely mounted on. their pulleys, from crowding over onto one anothen whilea plurality of belts, rather than asingle -wide. one, is usedfor reasons of expediency inmanufacture. Theoretically however, a single belt could be used. y

A swing-gate 10, mounted on a transverse shaft 11 journaled near the top of the memtions. Movement of this gate is controlled vby a lever 12 with which is associated a suitable form of pawl andrachet structure 13 so that the gate may bermaintained in any desired position This gate opens to the rear, so as not to exert a push on any fruit on the table.

. A suitable distance beyond the feed belts is a transverse shaft 14 on which is mounted a drum 15. Bearwardlyof the shaftl i is ,another shaft 16 on which is fixed a pulley 17, said shafts '14 and 16 being so disposed that the upper faces of the drum and-pulley are'in -ho'riz ontal alineinent." Forwardly of the pulley 17 is another pulley 1S,-belts;1-9 I si. ig re .said,pull rs; t 'uppe rfac of said belts having a downward slant in a forranged to travel in the same direction as "saidbelts 7. .Eachybelt -20 is provided throng-hont its length with single row of 15 si'zeto pass any fruit therethroughbut the "largest sizes. Superimposed on thebelt about each orifice is arigid plate'22 ghaving an orifice 23 of the same size as and northeir rear ends to thebe'lt as by means of rivets 24. Mou nted on the plates. around the forwardly extendingportions of the orifices therein are cups formed of" upwardly projecting and forwardly angled and crescent shaped strips 25 of resilient or cushionmaterial,suchas rubber. The spacing between the rear ends of the feed belts? jand the adjacent ends ofthe Beyond the rear ends of-the belts 2 0 is a table 26 onto which all fruit "remainingwon the beltspasses as soon as the latterfturn downwardly about the pulley'l'F. table-'' is preferably hingedat its forward end onto the frames 2, and" is arranged to beset at able means'such as by slotted links 27 attached to thetableand extending up adjacent the rails 1, bolts 28 in the latte-rpassingthrough the slots in the links andclam ping 'the latter against the rails. A rearrear 'e nd'of the table, its opening being controlled by a suitable handle 30. i -Directly under the belts 20 extending from the drum l5 a certain distance to the rear, is a solid plate or board 31. Beyond said board is a 'transverse driyen draper 32,

whose upper faceis a sufi i cientdistance be low the belts 20 to allow any fruit d opping through the 0r'ifice' 21 ontos aid draper, to be'carried underand' clear ofthe "belts without interference therewith.

lhis draper discharges ontoanother draper 33 disp'osed at right angles to the draper "32, orparallelto the belts 20: and to one side of the latter. Over and adjacent the upper mall y coinciding with the orifice (see Fig. "5). 1 These plates are fastened ,only eat belts 20 is just suflicient to enable thecups (liife'rent slopes, asinay be. desired, by suit-' wardly opening gate29 is hinged across the,

and leading "to grading belts 36 extending belts have holes 37 therethrough of a smallward direction .over the drum anduover the belts 19 on the pulley 17, pass belts 2O lon-. gitudinally alined with thebelts 8, and-arlischarge onto a slantingtablej39 provided at its .rear endwith a gate tO siinilar to" the gate 29. Intermediatethe ends of the'b'elts 36 atransverse discharge chute or-runway 41 is mounted thereunder, to carry olf anyfruit dropping-through the hol'es'f37. v

Asfar as the operat on of the apparatus i sconcerned. the diaper 33 could be omitted, and they belts136 arranged to lOCGlVQ fruit directlyffroin qthe draper 32. Thiswould either necessitate placing the belts 36 .at right angles to the main belts, or if'tlie parallel arrangement of the belts were main tained, the belts 36-wwould extend considerably beyondthe belts 20. Therefore'for the sake of compactness the two grading units are arranged in parallel relation and as shown. I

Thebelt units20 and 36 therefore travel inthe same direction, the cross draper 32 travels toward ,the draper '33 which is disposed betweenthe grading units, while the draper-"33 travels in the opposite direction to the grading belts.

Various arrangements may beeinployed -to-d1 'ive the ,various belts anddrapers; We

have here shown power as being initially applied to the shaft 16 from a pulley 42and from said shaft to-the corresponding shaft of the units 36 by a chain 'orgsimilar connection 43. "Likewise from said shaft 16 power applied to the draper 32 by a combination drive illustrated at 44. I

"The rear feed 'belt shaftb isconnected in driving relation with ,the shaft '14 a chain "or similardrive 45 in such a manner that the feed qbelts will travel somewhat slower than the gradingbelts. Said shaft 5 is also connected in drivingrelation with the adjacentshaft of the draper 331by means of gears 46 which cause thedraper to travel in a direction belts 7.

To maintain the belts 20 and 36 .under proper tension, spring-pressedcor similar opposite to that of thefeed tightener pulleys' ir" are provided to bear against the inner faces of the belts atlsuitable points. 7 H I *lnoperation, "the belts and drapersgare set in motion and the peaches to be gnaded dumped "onto the "head table '3. From here they will roll onto the belts 6 between the is lalelfsQale. The-.belts36 at their rearends longitudinally spaced round-or1fices-21 of a partitions 8, whichjas before stated are so spaced as only to allow the peaches to pass in single file. The belts carry the peaches to the bolts 20, and as each cup thereon moves upwardly toward the level of the feed belts, a peach overhanging the gap between the bolts 6 and will be picked up i by the cup andmoved along with the coi responding belt 530, the next peach, in line on the corresponding belt 6 being picked up by the next cup and so on continuously.

the fruit is discharged onto the table 25.

'ihis fruit is the largest or No. 1 grade, and from the table may beernptied into suitable boxes upon opening the end gate 529. Some of the fruitin the cups whilepassing over the draper 32 may tendto stick in the orifices I without actually dropping therethrough. In

tifl

such. cases the sloping belt 19 below, will gradually and gently force the peaches upwardly and out of saidorifices as the belts approach the rear end of their travel, and without imparting any shock to the peaches while so doing.

The peaches on the draper 32 are'carried onto the secondary grading belts 36, where they are received in the cups 38, from which the smallest peaches drop through the holes 37 into the chute 41, while those too large to do so pass onto the rear end table 39, to be also emptied thence into boxes. The fruit in the chute 41, in the case of peaches, is considered as culls, and are of little or no value except for hog feed or third rate markets. Of course if more than two sizes are to be graded, the apparatus could be made with another belt structure onto which the chute would discharge.

The feed belts and drapers are all as soft and pliable as it is possible to practically make them, and the various table surfaces and the like are padded to minimize the" V possibility of bruising the fruit.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that'we have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

. While this specification sets forth in de'- tail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detailmay be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by'the appended claims.

Having thus descr1bed our invention what we claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: v

1. In a :fru1t grader, a horizontal grading belt having spaced orifices cut therethrough, plates fixed on the upper face ofthe belt,

and having orifices normally alining with.

the belt orifices, and fruit retaining cups mounted'on the plates. I

2. In a fruit grader, a horizontal gradmg belt having spaced orifices cut therethrough,

plates fixed on the upper face of the belt, and having orifices normally alining with the belt orifices, the plates being bent up at their forward corners at an obtuse angle, and curved cushioning strips partially sur'- rounding the plate orifices and abutting against and secured to the bent up portions of the plates.

3. In a fruit grader, solid faced and spaced pulleys, a travelling grading belt passing thereover, said belt having spaced orifices of a predetermined size, fruit retaining cups arranged in connection with the orifices,

fruit receiving means under the belt intermediate and in spaced relation to the pulleys, and a solid surface closely disposed under the belt between the head pulley and the adjacent edge of the fruit receiving "means, whereby to cause all fruit held in place on the belt by the cups to be maintained substantially on a level with the belt until the latter passes over the fruit receiving means thereunder.

In testimony whereof we aliiX our signal tures.

WILLIAM H. FRAZINE. CHARLES W. MORRILL. 

